
Polymers Against Soil Erosion
Medium
A handful of powder might be enough to stop a hillside from washing away. Soil erosion strips nutrients from farmland and clogs waterways. Two water-absorbing polymers might help hold soil in place:
- polyacrylamide
- polyacrylate
You fill eleven trays with equal amounts of dirt. Five trays get increasing amounts of polyacrylamide. Five get increasing amounts of polyacrylate. One tray gets no polymer at all. You tilt each tray at an angle and pour 100 mL of water through it daily for five days. Then you measure how much soil washed out.
Polyacrylate performed better at every amount tested. The untreated tray lost the most soil by far.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that polyacrylate will be the most effective at halting erosion.
Method & Materials
You will fill eleven trays with dirt, measure out polyacrylamide and polyacrylate, spread it out evenly, and then run water through the trays for five days.
You will need eleven trays, 227.25 grams of dirt, polyacrylamide, and polyacrylate.
Results
The results showed that polyacrylate was the most effective at halting erosion. The tray with no polymers had the most erosion.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting because it shows how polymers can be used to halt soil erosion.
Also Consider
Variations to consider include using different amounts of polymers or different types of soil.
Full project details
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